THE National Professors Council (MPN) has surprisingly expressed regret over the contract termination of Arab linguist specialist Dr Solehah Yaacob by the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) effective April 27 this year.
Whether this is a stance of the council or just a personal opinion, its senior fellow Prof Emeritus Datuk Dr Teo Kok Seong has stated that “the action is regrettable at a time when better methods could be used by the university”.
“First of all, we don’t know the real story. That means neither side has revealed much about what actually happened,” the senior fellow at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s (UKM) Institute of Ethnic Studies told Malay language TV Pertiwi recently.
So I think in this Solehah case, it is certainly unfortunate. Not only for the owner of the body herself but for the academic profession.
“There’s a need in this case to find a better solution than what has happened. That’s for the good of both sides for the sake of justice.
As such, Teo who was asked to comment on Solehah’s dismissal from service at IIUM alongside prohibition from using the title of professor reckoned that the latter has taken the right step by referring her unfair dismissal to the Industrial Court to seek justice.
While the employer has every right to dismiss Solehah, the validity of its reasoning must be sound, according to the ethnolinguist who has often courted public controversy over his remarks on national unity, vernacular schools and most recently, the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC).
“In this case, we want to see a better ending than what happened which is justice for both sides – the employer and Solehah herself,” insisted Teo.
“But unfortunately, this episode has tarnished the country’s reputation in terms of the need to terminate the service of an academic.”
To recap, IIUM’s action came about following several controversial claims by the Pasir Mas, Kelantan-born Solehah. In November 2025, she claimed that ancient Romans may have learned shipbuilding techniques from ancient Malay seafarers.
Meanwhile, as recent as August 2026, the Kelantan-born academician suggested that Kedah’s iron ore wealth may have originated from meteor showers.
Editor’s Note: It is learnt that while Solehah has expressed her pre-trial intention following her termination, legal filings and procedures take time before a first mention or hearing is scheduled at the Industrial Court.
As to her chances of suing her employer IIUM for abrupt termination of her services (dismissal within 24 hours, not allowed to appeal and offer of a six-month salary equivalent), law firm Ahmad Danial Iswatt & Luqman opined that “things (can) get a bit tricky as her former employer is a public university”.
This is because, under Section 52 of the Industrial Relations Act 1967, the Industrial Court has no jurisdiction to hear unfair dismissal representations against any government service or the service of any statutory authority nor can it hear representations from public servants.
This is further complicated by the fact that while IIUM is a public university, it is bound by Section 24D of the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971 (AUKU) which deems all university employees to be public servants.
… (therefore) it is up to the Industrial Court to decide whether the university constitutes a government service and strike out the case or rule otherwise and proceed with hearing the representation.
Delving further, Teo contended that while some of Solehah’s researches are difficult to be proven, “it doesn’t give the university license to fire Solehah without reasonable cause”.
This is on grounds that Solehah who began her career in IIUM in 1995 prior to completing her PhD in 2005 and becoming full professor in 2020 has been previously recognised by IIUM.
“Her research seems to be lacking in evidence but if that’s the problem, then a way should be established for her to present evidence of her claims to convince the academic world,” asserted the 73-year-old Bachok, Kelantan-born Peranakan (Straits) Chinese academician.
At first glance, they’re seen as very strange but we shouldn’t just dismiss (her claims) because she was (previously) appointed by her own employer as a professor.
“It means that comparatively speaking, there’re academics who are very prolific in many ways but are still associate professors who’ve not even been promoted to the level of professor by their employers.
Although the rightist faction will be elated with Teo’s defence of Solehah, her perhaps biggest critic in avid political commentator Prof James Chin may disagree with such esteemed assessment of her given her academic wisdom has severely damaged IIUM’s reputation.
Here is a recall of what the inaugural director of the Asia Institute at the University of Tasmania told FocusM on Aug 24:
People shouldn’t pity her because she had complete freedom to spread her mind-blowing ideas … She has joined a right-wing firm whereby she’s now conducting cruises and well-attended workshops on a full-time basis.
“Such ecosystem will enable her and other likeminded people to amplify greatness of the Malay civilisation in that it’s not only the oldest but most superior in this part of the world … It baffles the mind as to why many fall for that or how this proliferates so fast in the Malay society. – Sept 8, 2026
Main image credit: TV Pertiwi/Facebook
